Osho

The Psychology of Harry Potter provides a wide-ranging look at the Harry Potter universe from the perspectives of a number of subfields within psychology. Contributors represent Counseling Psychology, Educational Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Experimental Social Psychology, and other specialties. For this reason its focus is not on analyzing the characters (though there is some of that), but on many aspects of the broader field of psychology that are represented or implied in the Harry Potter books. Examples from the books are associated with major concepts and themes in psychological research, making this a nice introductory survey of topics such as attachment theory, resilience, curiosity, perceptions of time, magical thinking, the nature of evil, group dynamics, racism, and authoritarianism, as well as career development, educational design and pedagogy, and cultural considerations in diagnosis, to name only some of the areas addressed in 22 chapters. (The correct page count is 326, though BenBella's old estimate of 240 may still appear in the online publishing information). I would have liked a more comprehensive introduction that highlighted the relationships between the chapters. Several chapters use the same references to support contrasting opinions, while others use the same references but diverge in their applications. It's clear from the organization of the text that the editor was aware of this, but a more extensive overview addressing this would be useful for both casual readers and instructors considering adopting this book. I also would have liked a few more clinical chapters, and wish that I'd submitted my work on Butterbeer Abuse after all. Still, this is a very enjoyable collection and well worth the read if you like the meta-Harry Potter genre. Since the Table of Contents isn't available on Amazon, here are the chapters: Introduction Neil Mulholland, Ph.D. What Do Students Learn from Hogwarts Classes? Robin S. Rosenberg, Ph.D. Harry's Curiosity Susan Engel with Sam Levin Intergroup Conflict in the World of Harry Potter Kevin J. Apple and Melissa J. Beers "Have You Got What it Takes to Train Security Trolls?": Career Counseling for Wizards Shoshana D. Kerewsky, Psy.D., and Lissa Joy Geiken, M.Ed. Hogwarts Academy: Common Sense and Magic Charles W. Kalish and Emma C. Kalish Attachment Styles at Hogwarts: From Infancy to Adulthood Wind Goodfriend, Ph.D. What Harry and Fawkes Have in Common: The Transformative Power of Grief Misty Hook Harry Potter and the Resilience to Adversity Richard E. Heyman and Danielle M. Provenzano Discovering Magic Karl S. Rosengren and Emily C. Rosengren The Magical World of Muggles Carol Nemeroff Time and Time Again: Muggle's Watch, the Wizard's Clock Peter A. Hancock and Michelle K. Gardner The Social Dynamics of Power and Cooperation in the Wizarding World Nancy Franklin Mental Illness in the World of Wizardry Jessica Leigh Murakami "Dobby Had to Iron His Hands, Sir!": Self-Inflicted Cuts, Burns, and Bruises in Harry Potter E. David Klonsky, Ph.D., and Rebecca Laptook, M.A. The Werewolf in the Wardrobe Siamak Tundra Naficy Exploring the Dark Side: Harry Potter and the Psychology of Evil Christopher J. Patrick and Sarah K. Patrick Harry Potter and the Word That Shall Not Be Named Mikhail Lyubansky Evolution, Development, and the Magic of Harry Potter David H. Rakison and Caroline Simard Using Psychological Treatment with Harry Neil Mulholland, Ph.D. Defense Against the Real Dark Arts Patricia A. Rippetoe Resisting Social Influence: Lessons from Harry Potter Melanie C. Green Harry Potter and the Magic of Transformation Laurie J. Pahel